What Hurts The Most
by TaytayXD
Summary: Roxas is a new kid at Twilight Town High School, Axel is the school jerk. Roxas develops a crush on Axel, and tries his best to hide it. But one day, Axel needs a hero to save him from something- or rather, someONE- who is out to kill the redhead. Will Roxas be able to suck it up and save his crush, or will they both be 'crushed? Summary sucks, sorry. M for language and smex!
1. Chapter 1: New and Not Improved

Summary: What hurts the most is knowing the person you love doesn't love you back/ " Ha! Me? Love HIM? Are you kidding me?"/  
Rating: M Pairings: AkuRoku, SoRiku, Zemyx among others

Chapter 1: New and Improved...not.

Roxas sighed as he stared up at the doors of his new school. His parents, Cloud and Aerith Strife, had decided to move into a more 'friendly neighborhood', as Aerith had put it. Roxas had no problem with his old place. He loved going to the clubs and malls in Traverse Town.  
But Aerith had sensed that it wasn't a good place for children to grow up in. Cloud had eventually agreed with her, and they ended up buying a house in Twilight Town. And if Roxas hadn't know better, he would have thought that moving was just a way for his parents to torture him.  
Roxas frowned, then ran a hand through his golden-blonde hair and started up the steps of his new school: Twilight Town High School. It was the nearest public school to his new house, and even though he had wanted to go to an art school, this was his only choice for now. " Now Roxas,  
I know you would love to go to a school where you can express your talent, but we just don't have the money right now." Aerith had said, and Roxas had accepted his fate, and had been enrolled in this high school. As he walked inside, Roxas was met with cool air that had sort of a lavender scented disinfectant smell. He shuddered and shifted his bag on his shoulder, heading to what he hoped was the office. When he walked into the room, he was greeted by a woman with long, dark hair. She had a bright smile on her face that Roxas couldn't help but smile back at. " Hi, I'm uh, Roxas Strife. I'm the-" " Oh, Roxas! Of course!" The woman interrupted, " You're the new student. I'm Mrs. Leonhart, but you can just call me Tifa. The 'Mrs' makes me feel old." Roxas smiled. " Hello, Tifa. It's nice to meet you." He said, trying his best to be polite. Tifa smiled back at Roxas. " It's nice to meet you too, Roxas. Now, lets see about your schedule, shall we?" She said, and sat down in front of her computer. She typed in a few things, humming a random tune as she searched. 'She seems like a nice woman' Roxas thought, and jumped a little as Tifa's " AHA!" sounded loudly and echoed through the room. " Here it is. I'll just print it out for you." She said,  
and clicked the 'print' button. She headed to the printer that was in a corner in the back of the room and collected Roxas's schedule, then smiled widely as she handed the paper to Roxas. " Here you are, Roxas. Have a great first day here, okay?" She said, and Roxas nodded. " Okay. Thanks, Tifa." He said, then walked out of the office. He looked down at the paper that was still warm from the printer and studied it.  
" Homeroom with Mr. Prince, english with Mr. Newbern, history with Mr. Fair, PE with Ms. Kisaragi, literature with Mr. Rhapsodos, math with Mr. Hewley and science with Mr. Prince again." Roxas sighed and headed to his homeroom. As he walked down the hall, he studied his surroundings with half-interested glances. He noticed a few posters around the halls, most of them saying, " Go Twilight Town Tigers!" or something along those lines. They all had footballs on them, so Roxas assumed that the Twilight Town Tigers was the name of the football team. By the time he made it to his homeroom, the door was already closed, so he had to knock when he found that it was locked. It opened a second later, and Roxas was greeted by a man in a white lab coat with long pale hair and icy green eyes. He flinched away from the icy glare he was recieving from the man, then said, " Um, hi sir, I'm Roxas Strife. I'm new, and I'm in your class." The man nodded, and ushered Roxas into the room. The blonde felt his face heat up as the class stared at him curiously. " Class, this is Roxas Strife. He's a new student here at Twilight Town High, so I expect all of you to be on your best behavior toward him. Roxas, you may have a seat next to Ms. Flynn." The man, who Roxas figured was Mr. Prince, said and pointed to a girl with short burgundy hair. Roxas walked over to the table she was sitting at and sat down. " Hi, I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you, Roxas!" The girl said, smiling. " It's nice to meet you too, Kairi." Roxas said, smiling back. " So, where did you move from?" Kairi asked. " Traverse Town." Roxas replied, and took out his sketchpad and an art pencil from his bag. " Oh, that's so cool! I've always wanted to go to Traverse Town! Oh, what's that?" Kairi asked, pointing to the sketchpad. " Uh, it's my sketchpad. I like to draw and stuff, so I carry it with me." Roxas said. " Ooh! So are you any good? Can I see some pictures?" Roxas handed the sketchpad to Kairi and watched her flip it open. " I'd like to think that I'm pretty good, but I don't know." Roxas said, watching as Kairi flipped through the pages.  
She stopped at the last picture Roxas had drawn and gasped. " Wow... Roxas, this one... it's so amazing!" She said, and Roxas blushed a little. It was a picture of him and his parents, all smiling and looking happy. " Thanks... that's my mom and dad with me." Roxas said. Kairi brushed har index finger across the page, examining the picture. " It... looks just like an actual photo!" She said, then smiled at Roxas and handed him his sketchpad back. " You have a real talent, Roxas. I can't wait to see more of your pictures." Roxas smiled and took his sketchpad from Kairi, then sighed. " So, what are the other students like here?" He asked, and Kairi frowned in thought. " Hmm, well, I really only know the ones that are in my classes, and also some from my brothers classes. Well, there's Namine, who's in my math class. She draws pretty well, too.  
Maybe you guys could be friends! Um, then there's Xion. She's in this class, actually. Over there." Kairi pointed to a girl with short black hair who was sitting across the room. Roxas nodded. " Oh, then there's Marluxia, Saix and Demyx. They're all in my brothers class. Demyx is really sweet, and Marluxia is pretty nice, too, but Saix is just like Axel." Kairi said with a sad sigh. " Who's Axel?" Roxas asked, curiosity lacing his voice. " Oh, Axel is my brother. He's a total jerk-wad though, so I don't hang around him much. Saix isn't really as irritating as Axel, but he gets pretty sadistic when he's provoked. And all you have to do is look at him wrong to provoke him, so yeah. I stay away from him." Roxas nodded, understanding her pain. He had to go through someone like that back at his old school. His name was Seifer, and he was a total jerk, and all you'd have to do is glance at him and he'd go off on you. " So, I can introduce you to them after class if you'd like." Kairi said, shaking Roxas out of his thoughts. " Huh? Don't we have to go to 1st period after this?" He asked, confused. Kairi giggled. " Nah, we have an hour after homeroom to do whatever we need to do, and I usually go out to the courtyard and sit with the guys. Most kids try to get their homework done in that time, because they were too lazy to get it done at home. But, being the perfect student that I am, I do all my work as soon as I get to my room." Kairi said, then shook her head and laughed. " I'm kidding, I'm not a perfect student, I actually have pretty suckish grades right now. Oh, but I do my homework where it should be done though. At HOME, hence the name. I mean, DUH people! I mean, HOMEwork is to be done at HOME! Oh, sorry if I'm talking too much, Roxas." Kairi cut herself off and blushed when Roxas laughed. " No, it's alright. I don't have much to say anyway, and listening to you is amusing." He said, and ran a hand through his hair. Kairi was about to say something else when the bell rang. " OH! That's the bell! C'mon, I'll introduce you guys!" Kairi squealed, and pulled Roxas out of the room giggling. 


	2. Chapter 2: Friends and Enemies

" DEMYX, MARLY!" Kairi was screeching, waving her free hand frantically while she still had Roxas's wrist with the other one.  
They were currently racing across the courtyard at full speed, trying to catch up to a boy with dirty blonde hair and his pink-haired friend.  
The two stopped when they heard Kairi's voice, and turned around in time to jump out of the way as Kairi tripped and crashed to the ground, pulling Roxas with her. " OOF!" Kairi gasped as Roxas landed on top of her, and blushed as he sat up. " Oops, sorry Kairi!" Roxas said, quickly jumping off of her and helping her up. The two older boys were laughing, causing Roxas's already flushed face to become redder. " Oh, Kairi,  
you big klutz!" The blonde said between laughs, and Kairi punched him in the arm playfully. The two older boys stopped laughing and turned to Roxas. " So, who's this, Kai, new boyfriend?" The one with pink hair asked Kairi, and she blushed like mad. " NO! This is Roxas, he's a new student here. Roxas, this dope here is Marluxia, and the David Bowie wannabe is Demyx." She said, motioning to them. Demyx crossed his arms and pouted a bit. " I am NOT a David Bowie wannabe." He muttered, and Marluxia poked his nose and said, " Of COURSE not, mister 'dance water, dance'." He said in a sing-songy voice, and laughed when Demyx swatted his hand away from his face. The four of them continued walking the way Demyx and Marluxia were walking, and soon ended up at a large brick wall that separated the school and the woods. They turned and started walking down the side of the wall, going behind the school. " Uh, should we be going back here, Kairi?" Roxas asked, and she shrugged.  
" We aren't supposed to, but these guys have been doing it since they were freshmen, so we're probably home free." Kairi said, and a question formed in Roxas's mind. " Yeah, so what grade are they in, anyway?" He whispered, making sure Demyx and Marluxia couldn't hear him. " They're juniors. Only a year older than us, don't worry." She said, and smiled at Roxas. " Hey, there's Axel and Saix! GUYS!" Demyx called, and sprinted toward the two other boys a couple yards ahead. The other three ran to catch up with them, and Kairi immediately sat next to Demyx on the wall. " So, who's the kid?" A red-head asked, nodding toward Roxas. Roxas glared and said, " I'm not a kid, and my name's Roxas."  
The red-head laughed. " You look like a kid to me, kid. What are you, twelve or somethin'?" He said, giving Roxas a once-over. Roxas's glare hardened and he looked into the red-head's cat-like eyes. " I'm sixteen, for your information." The red-head laughed at Roxas's glare and then glared right back, his green eyes seeming to glow. " Well, kid, I don't appreciate you invading our little spot, so maybe you should just turn your tiny little ass right on around and get out of here." He said, and Kairi growled at him. " Axel, I brought him with me! He's new, so be nice or I'll-"  
" You'll do what, Kairi? You'll tell mom and dad? Pfft, what are they gonna do, ground me?" Axel interrupted her, then made his voice a little higher. " Axel, you're grounded! No TV, no Xbox and no cell phone!" He said, shaking his finger at the air in front of him. Kairi rolled her eyes and sighed. " Axel, why you gotta be so mean?" She said, and Axel gasped dramatically and fisted his black muscle shirt where his heart is.  
" OH! Dear Kairi, why do you wound me so? I'm not mean!" He said, then smirked and chuckled darkly. " I'm not mean, I'm an evil bastard." He said, and Roxas rolled his eyes. Like that was anything to be proud about. Then Roxas realized that the boy with blue hair, whom he assumed was Saix, hadn't said a word. He looked at him, then immediately looked away. Saix's golden eyes were trained on him, staring at him intently.  
Roxas blushed, then looked to Kairi. " Um, so Kairi, what's your next class?" He asked, casually sitting in the grass next to Marluxia. Axel snorted. " Wow. Look at the kid guys, he's worried about class. Is the poor wittle baby afraid he's gonna get an A minus? Aww, that would just screw up your perfect record, wouldn't it, sweetheart?" Axel said in a mocking voice. Roxas glared at the red-head, then turned back to Kairi. " Well, I have math with Ms. Valentine. She's really nice, and I would DIE for her hair." Kairi said, and Demyx and Marluxia groaned.  
" You and your hair infatuation!" Marluxia said, exasperated. Kairi scoffed. " Well Marly, just look at you!" She said, and jumped down from the wall and reached up to ruffle his hair. " AH! NO! I JUST FIXED IT!" Marluxia yelled, then Kairi proceded to chase him around yelling threats about cutting all of his hair off while he slept. Roxas and Demyx laughed when Kairi tackled Marluxia down to the ground and proceded to mess his hair up tremendously before he shoved her off of him. Kairi was on the ground laughing and holding her stomach as Marluxia stood up and tried to pick the grass and leaves out of his hair, then whining loudly when he couldn't get it out. " Kairi, you bitch!" He whined, then grabbed a mini-mirror from his pocket and attempted to fix his hair once again. Kairi wiped her tears of laughter from her cheeks as she stood up and brushed her clothes off. Just then, the bell rang again, and Roxas realized that it had been an hour of just sitting there. He stood up and sighed. " Kairi, you wanna walk with me?" He asked, and turned around. " Wha- Where'd they go?" Roxas asked himself when he realized that he was the only one left beside the wall. He turned back around to get his bag and was shoved down. He gasped and rubbed his head, then looked up and saw that Axel was standing over him. " Look kid, if you know what's good for ya, you'll stay away from me and my friends, even my lousy ass sister. Capiche?" Axel growled, his hand roughly grabbing Roxas's hair and yanking it so that their faces were inches apart. " And if ya don't, you'll soon know the meaning of 'pain'." He said, jerking Roxas's hair once more before shoving him down on the ground and walking off.  
Roxas layed there for a minute in a daze, then slowly got up and grabbed his bag and shuffled to his next class. " Why does Axel hate me so much?"  
He wondered aloud, not paying attention to where he was going, and accidentally bumped into someone. " Oh, I'm sorry!" He said at the same time the other person said the same thing. Roxas looked up and gasped as he was met with deep ocean-blue eyes. " Oh, you're that new kid!" The boy said, smiling brightly. It was the same smile that Tifa had worn that morning, and Roxas couldn't help but smile back. " Yeah, I'm Roxas."  
He said, holding his hand out. " I'm Sora. Nice ta meetcha, Roxas!" The boy said, grasping Roxas's hand and shaking it. " So, you havin' a good time here, Roxas?" Sora asked, and Roxas sighed. " Not really. I mean, some people are really nice, but there's this one boy... he seems to hate me for some reason. I mean, seriously, he only knows my name and age, nothing else!" Roxas said, and Sora nodded, his soft brown spikes swaying with the movement. " It's Axel Flynn, isn't it?" Sora asked, and Roxas nodded. " Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked, and Sora snorted. " Rox,  
everyone knows Axel for his jerkiteering and douche-baggery. You wouldn't even have to describe him to know exactly who someone is talking about." Roxas was about to say something when the bell rang again. " Oh shit, we're gonna ne late. What class do you have next, Rox?" Sora asked. " English with Mr. Newbern. You know where that is?" He asked Sora, and the brunet smiled widely again. " I got that class too! C'mon, lets go before we're any later. Newbern is really strict." Sora said, and led Roxas to their class.

A/N: Okay, sorry guys, but Axel is a giant jerk in this fic! For now, that is... Axel: Oh, c'mon Taytay! I'm not a jerk!  
Taytay: I know, but it was necessary in this fic.  
Roxas: Why?  
Taytay: Oh, you'll find out... *bitch smile*  
Axel and Rox: O.O/  
Taytay: REVIEW! So I can have some encouragement to continue this fic and get to the part where Axel- *mouth gets covered*  
Demyx: DON'T RUIN IT FOR THE READERS, TAYTAY!  
Taytay: ^^;;  
Demyx: Each review adds a dollar to my wallet. Please review so I can get enough munny to buy some duct tape for this chicks mouth!  
Taytay: -_-/ 


	3. Chapter 3: Bullies Suck, The End

A/N: Sorry about the first two chapters, I'll remember to do paragraphs in these following chapters! Thanks for reading, and enjoy chapter 3 of 'What Hurts The Most'!

" So, as you can see, the amoeba splits in half during the fertilization process, and regenerates a brand new limb." Mr. Prince was explaining, as Roxas felt his eyelids becoming heavy. He and Sora had been late for Mr. Newbern's class, so they had detention after school.  
Sora had been cool about it, but Roxas was panicking slightly on the inside. ' Detention on my first day? What am I going to tell mom and dad?'  
He thought, his brows furrowing in frustration.

" Roxas, are you okay?" A voice asked, and Roxas jumped. " What? Oh, yeah Sora." He said, smiling at the brunet. " Well, you were zoning out so much that you didn't even hear the bell. We have to go to the detention room now... I hate this as much as you do, don't worry." Sora smiled apologetically. " Sorry..." He said, and Roxas stood up and gathered his things. " It's not your fault, Sora." He said, following the -slightly-  
shorter boy out the door and down the hall.

Once they got to the detention room, they walked in and sat down at the first table. Roxas glanced at the clock on the wall, then his watch to be sure the time was right. " Yep, 3:47." He muttered, and leaned his head on his hand. Just then, a man with semi-long silvery hair walked in and glared at the two boys, who were the only ones in the room. Roxas flinched away from the man's cold amber gaze, then straightened in his seat when he looked away. " Sora, you are almost always in this room after the school day is over, so I am not surprised to find you in here today. But you, Mr. Strife? This is your first day here at Twilight Town High, and I would expect more of you. But it looks as if I was sorely mistaken. You two will sit here in absolute silence, you are not to lean on your desk, you will not close your eyes, you will not fidget in your seat and you will not have your phones. So hand them over." The man said, and Sora and Roxas held their phones out to his waiting hands reluctantly.

" Now, you may begin your punishment. I will tell you when you may leave for your homes." And so after that, Roxas and Sora were completely silent, and they didn't say a word to each other. Roxas decided to turn his mind to a more educated topic than what he would tell his parents.  
He mentally went over the lesson in math that his teacher had went over, then moved on to literature. Their lit. teacher, Mr. Rhapsodos, really had a way with words. He knew each and every word to most of their poems and plays that they had to do in class. After Roxas decided that literature was making him even more tired, he turned his attention to his watch.

4: 52. It was almost time to leave. They should be able to get out by 5.

Just as Roxas thought that, the silver haired man stood up and sighed heavily. " Alright, you two may go home now. I don't want to see either of you back here, but I know I will." With that, Sora and Roxas grabbed their phones from his desk, grabbed their bags and dashed out the door. " Oh my gosh, that was so boring!" Roxas cried, and Sora laughed. " Yep, it's always like that." " Hey, Sora? Why do you keep getting detention?" Roxas asked, curious. " I skip classes occasionally to see my boyfriend, and the classes I do show up to, I usually show up late."  
The brunet said, and Roxas nodded, then asked, " So, who's your boyfriend?" Sora got a look of pure bliss on his face when he said, " Riku Gallagher. He's the quarterback on the football team." Roxas stared at Sora.

" YOU are with the quarterback of the football team?" He asked, surprised. Sora nodded. " Yeah, I am. But, don't let his looks fool you, Riku can get bossy and arrogant sometimes. He's also really strong, even though he just looks like an average teenager." Sora was about to say something else, but a hand swept over his mouth and stopped him in his tracks. " What was that, Sora? I'm not bossy and arrogant. Well, at least not around friends."

Sora pried the hand away from his mouth and turned around, practically beaming. " Riku! I thought you had football practice?" He asked, hugging the silver haired boy and recieving a kiss on his head. " Yeah, but I skipped it to come and spend time with you. I was looking for you, then I walked by the detention room, and noticed you were in there, so I just decided to wait some more."

Sora blushed slightly and pulled away from Riku. " Riku, Coach Highwind is going to fire you if you keep skipping practices." He said, with a slightly disapproving tone. Riku just shrugged. " He can't fire me until he finds a better quarterback, and so far, no one in this school can stack up to me." He said, and smirked. Sora rolled his eyes, then seemed to remember that Roxas was there, too. " OH! Riku, this is Roxas, he's new.  
Roxas, this is Riku." The brunet said, and Roxas smiled. " It's nice to meet you, Riku. So, you're the quarterback?" Riku's smirk widened.  
" Yep, that's me."

Both Roxas and Sora rolled their eyes at that.

Roxas was about to ask Riku who the others on the team were, when a voice yelled, " ROOOOOOXAAAAAAS!" The blonde nearly jumped out of his skin as he was tackled to the ground, then met with the deep blue eyes of Kairi. " Kairi? What are you still doing here?" Roxas asked her,  
standing up. Kairi hopped up and smiled. " Yearbook club meeting. Did I mention that I was in the yearbook club? No? Well, I am! It just let out, and I was walking out the door when I saw you, Sora and Riku down here. What happened! Did Sora get you in trouble on your first day?  
Sora, shame on you!" Kairi said in a half scolding, half teasing voice, and waggled her finger at Sora.

Sora only smirked, and flicked Kairi in the forehead. " Yeah, I guess so, Kai. So, how'd yearbook club go?" He asked, and smirked wider when Kairi scowled at him and rubbed her forehead. Then, she smiled and clapped her hands together, doing a little hop on one foot. " It was GREAT!  
We almost have the design done, and once we finish it, Mrs. Mallori says that she'll put it together that night, then we get to see it the next morning! I can't WAIT to see how it goes together. It'll be PERFECT, I just KNOW it!" Kairi squealed, then did a little victory dance.

Roxas chuckled at her display. She certainly loved yearbook club. " So, what are you guys-" " KAIRI JANE FLYNN, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT FUCKIN' NOW!" A familiar voice screamed, and Roxas gulped. " Axel!" Kairi shreaked, clearly surprised to see him. Axel was practically fuming, and you could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears. " Kairi. I go home at normal time. Mom and dad tell me to come back and pick you up at five. I HAVE BEEN WAITING OUT THERE fOR THIRTY FUCKING MINUTES, KAIRI! THIRTY MINUTES! So I come in, and check the art room, only to find out that you had been dismissed- get this- THIRTY MINUTES AGO!" Axel then directed his attention to Roxas. " And YOU. I thought I told you to stay away from her? Didn't I tell you that you'd get hurt if you didn't? Well, I don't give second chances, twerp!"

Suddenly, Roxas felt Axel's fist meet his jaw, and his head snapped sideways. " AXEL!" Kairi yelled, and pushed Axel back, away from Roxas.  
" What are you DOING, Axel!" Sora yelled, and Riku grabbed Sora's arm as he went for the redhead. " I warned him, and he got his punishment.  
Next time it happens, it'll be a lot worse than that." Axel said, then grabbed Kairi and drug her away. She looked back, and apologetic look in her eyes, then disappeared out the door with Axel.

Riku and Sora were at Roxas's side in the next second, examining his jaw and eye. " Does it hurt, Rox?" Sora asked, gently pressing on Roxas's cheek bone. Roxas flinched, and nodded. " Yeah, it kinda does. Damnit... this day couldn't honestly get any worse for me." He grumbled, then reached down and picked his backpack up. " I think... I should be getting home." " I can drive you, if you want." Riku offered, and Roxas smiled.  
" Thanks, Riku. That would be great." He said, and they walked out the door and to Riku's car.

" Woah, this is really nice, Riku!" Roxas said, walking around the dark blue mustang convertable. Riku grinned. " It is, isn't it? Well, get in. We need to get off school grounds before six." Sora climbed in the front seat and shoved his bag under his feet. " Why six?" Roxas asked as he situated himself in the backseat, setting his bag beside of him. " Because, at six, they close and lock the gates, and those things are like, eight feet high and topped with a shit load of barbed wire. We'd be stuck here all night." Riku explained as he started the car and drove off of the school campus.

" Just tell me where I'm going." Riku said, and Roxas nodded, pointing ahead of him. " Just keep going straight." After Roxas gave Riku the directions to his house, he thanked the silverette for giving him a ride home. " I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Roxas called as they drove off, then took a deep breath and walked inside.

" ROXAS! Oh my goodness, where have you been, sweetheart!" Aerith cried, rushing to Roxas's side and giving him a gigantic bear-hug. Roxas bit his lip when she pulled back. " I..." He couldn't lie to her... " I got detention for being late to english class, then a boy punched me as I was leaving." Just as he said that, Cloud came up. " What? You were punched? Oh, I am definately having a talk to the principle about this. And you were late? Roxas, this was your first day! You shouldn't be late, ever." Cloud said, then sighed. " But, I guess I'll let it slide this time."

Roxas let out the breath he had been holding, then hugged his parents. " Thank you. I'm gonna go get an ice pack for my jaw, then get started on my homework." Roxas went to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, then walked down the hallway to his room and sat down on the bed. After he finished his homework, he started to feel sleepy, so he changed into his pajamas and walked to the kitchen to put the ice pack back in the freezer. " Mom, dad, I'm going to bed now. Love you." He called into the living room. " Okay sweety, love you too." Aerith called. " Good night, Roxas." Cloud called, and Roxas went back to his room and layed down.

After a few minutes, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

A/N: Wow, I think this chapter was a lot longer than the other two... Meh, oh well. Axel, you bad, bad boy! Tsk, shame on you, hitting poor wittle Roxy!  
Axel: -_-/  
Roxas: *sighs*  
Taytay: ^^ Review, please? Demyx: Ya, cause I still don't have that roll of duct tape.  
Taytay: e.e/ 


	4. Chapter 4: Axel's Reasoning

A/N: Sorry if the paragraphs aren't spaced properly, I don't usually do them. :\ THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WONDERFUL AND SUPPORTING REVIEWS! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story. Anyway, this isn't really a long chapter. It's just a Kairi and Axel side of the last chapter after Axel drug Kairi out the door. I WILL HAVE THE NEXT CHAPTER UP TOMORROW!

Enjoy! ^^

Kairi bit her lip in pain as Axel drug her out the door. He was really frustrated and angry, she could tell. " Axel-" " Save it, Kairi.  
I don't want to hear any excuses from you." Axel growled, opening the passenger door of his red mustang GT and pushing Kairi down into the seat. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Axel shut the door and walked around the car to the drivers side, then got in and shut the door. He layed his head on the steering wheel and sighed heavily, then directed his attention to the girl sitting beside of him. " Kairi, look. I'm sorry I snapped, it's just-" " Save it, Axel. I don't wanna hear any excuses from you." Kairi said, using her brother's words against him. Axel sighed again, then stuck the key in the ignition and started the car up. He drove away from the school, heading toward their home.

When Axel pulled up in their driveway, Kairi immediately jumped out and went running inside. Axel grumbled and got out of the car, knowing that he was going to be yelled at for several things once he walked in the door. As he walked inside, Axel was met with a smack to his head. " OW!  
Dad, what the-" " Don't you dare say that word, Axel Lea Flynn. I am highly disappointed in you. You hit another student, then you make your sister cry? Axel, when are you going to learn that you need to grow up?" His father asked. " Is that a rhetorical question?"

Axel dodged as his dad reached out to hit his head again. " Reno!" Axel turned around and saw his mother standing there, hugging a crying Kairi.  
" Reno, stop hitting Axel. I'm sure he had a reason to punch that boy. But-" " Elena, why would you take his side on this? He punched a boy in the face! He might have had a reason, sure, but that doesn't mean it's okay that he did it!" His father- Reno- said, exasperated. Their mother,  
Elena, just sighed. " Look... Axel, why did you hit that boy?" She asked, looking at Axel. Axel shrunk under his mother's stare, and bit his lip.

" I... I didn't want him... around Kairi or anyone." He mumbled, and Elena shook her head. " Axel, that is no reason to punch anyone!" Reno yelled,  
glaring at his son. Axel shut his eyes tightly, trying to drown out the sound of his parents' voices. He hated being scolded and yelled at, anyone could tell.

" Axel..." Elena's voice was soft and motherly, " You are to apologize to that boy tomorrow, and you will apologize to your sister right now."

Axel opened his eyes and sighed, turning to Kairi. " I'm... sorry, Kairi." He said quietly, then crossed his arms. " Can I go to my room now?" " Yes, Axel. Don't forget to eat dinner before you go to bed though." Elena said, and Axel nodded, heading to the kitchen. He made a sandwich for himself, then walked up the stairs to his room. " Oh holy hell, I'm tired." He muttered to himself, flopping down onto his bed and taking a bite of his sandwich.

" Axel, can I come in?" It was Kairi. " Yeah, sure, just make it quick, I'm tired." Kairi walked in and gave Axel a half-smile. " Axel, I know you don't like Roxas, but, can't you at least give him a chance? I mean-" " No." Axel stated, turning over in his bed, his back now facing his sister.

Kairi growled and huffed. " Axel, you can at least get to know him a little more before you start hating his guts! I mean, what's wrong with him?  
Why don't you like him, Axel, huh? Is it because he's so nice? Or is it because he's my friend? You didn't hate Ventus. Ventus was my friend for six years, Axel, and you loved hanging out with him! Then he moves away, and you become a mean jerk and you're bossy and arrogant and just so secluded! WHY, AXEL!" Kairi shrieked, causing Axel to jump up from his bed and get in her face.

" I hate Roxas BECAUSE he reminds me of Ventus, not because he's your friend!" He yelled, then realized what he said. Kairi had a look that was a cross between shock and realization on her face. " Axel... you... you liked Ventus, didn't you?" She asked. " Well, yeah, he was my friend-"  
" No, Axel, you LIKED Ventus, didn't you?" Kairi put emphasis on the 'liked'. Axel blushed, something that he had only ever done around... Ventus.

" Well..." He sighed, then nodded. " Yeah, I liked Ventus, okay? Yes, that's why I don't like Roxas, because he looks a lot like him. And your also right about the fact that I was only a jerk after he left."

Kairi smiled, then said, " He never did tell us why he was leaving..." At these words, Axel visibly tensed. " You realy want to know why he moved,  
Kairi?" He asked, and Kairi cocked her head to the side, confused yet curious.

" Because I told him how I felt. I told him that I liked him, and he thought I was a disgusting bastard and that I needed help. I don't know how he convinced his parents to actually move, but apparently, they did. So you see, that's the main reason I hate Roxas because of Ventus. Because the little bastard broke my heart."

Axel suddenly felt Kairi's arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. " Oh Axel, I'm so sorry, I had no idea..." She said, her words muffled by Axel's shirt. He hugged her back, then pulled away. " It's okay Kairi, it's not like it's your fault or anything." He said, and then sighed. " So...  
will you try to forget that Roxas looks like Ventus, and maybe give him a chance? I'm sure you'll like the real him." Kairi asked hesitantly, and was surprised when Axel nodded. " Yeah, Kai... I guess I can give him a chance. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be mister perfection or anything.  
I'm still gonna be a jerk- just not as big a jerk as normal." Axel smirked when Kairi rolled her eyes and punched his arm.

" Well, I'm gonna go to bed now, Kai. See you in the morning." Kairi smiled and said, " Yeah, Axel." Then walked out the door, closing it behind her.  
Axel took his shirt and pants off, then climbed into his bed in only his boxers. He soon fell asleep, even though he was dreading the next day.

A/N: SO... This one took longer than I thought it would to write! e.e stupid head, not giving me any ideas. Oh well, I got it all down on- um, virtual paper XD Ventus: -_- I really appreciate the fact that you made me sound like a total homophobic douche. *sarcasm*  
Taytay: :D It was neccesary!  
Roxas: Yeah, and I'm tired of people pointing out how we could be like, the same person because we look so much alike!  
Taytay: Oh well, it's too late for both of you to stop me! :D MUAHAHA!  
Axel: She's going insane... Review so we can go buy her some crazy pills! 


	5. Chapter 5: Ice Cream

A/N: Sorry for not updating this sooner, everyone, I've just been busy with my siblings. -_- Eh, why must they be so freaking annoying?  
Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it, and thank you to everyone who's reviewed! I love you all! *passes out cookies*

The next morning, Roxas woke up to the smell of bacon and pancakes wafting through the house. " Ngh..." He grunted and sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He got up and wobbled to the bathroom, looking in the mirror. When he saw what the right side of his face looked like, ha gasped. " Holy... shit!" Roxas reached up and gently ran his index finger over his swollen, black cheek and jawbone, and winced at the pain in it.

How was he supposed to explain this to everyone? His parents wouldn't let him go to school looking like this... Roxas bit his lip in frustration, then decided to go ahead and get ready for school, anyway. He stripped his pajamas off, then turned the water on hot and stepped into the shower.

After he had washed himself and dried his hair, he padded back into his bedroom to get dressed. A white t-shirt, a pair of faded denim jeans and some black converses later, Roxas grabbed his bag and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where his mom and dad were.

" Hi mom, hi dad. What's for breakfast?" Roxas asked casually, pretending that half of his face wasn't black. Aerith gasped when she saw his bruise.  
" Roxas, are you sure you're going to be alright?" She asked, " That looks very painful..." " I think maybe you should stay home today, son, and we'll go talk to the principle tomorrow." Cloud said, and Roxas shook his head. " Ah, no! I'm fine, really! I don't think we need to go to the principle, dad."  
He said, and Cloud looked up from his plate. " Roxas, this boy caused your face to swell up and turn black! And you don't think we should tell the-"  
" It's alright, dad, the boy who punched me is a really bad troublemaker, anyway. I don't think getting the principle involved would help much except by getting me pummeled again."

Aerith sighed and sat a plate of food in front of her son. " Are you sure, Roxas?" She asked, and the blonde nodded. " Yes, mom. And thanks for the food, it looks yummy!" Roxas ate his food in silence, then kissed Aerith on the cheek as he walked out the door. " Bye mom, bye dad, I'm off to school!  
I promise, I'll be safe." With that, Roxas started walking down the street.

Then, he remembered how far away his school was.

" SHIT!" Roxas kicked a rock at his feet, and was about to turn around and go back to his house when a red mustang pulled up beside of him.

The window rolled down, and Roxas automatically frowned. " Axel, what do you want? Here to comment on my stupidity?" He asked, and Axel glared at him. " Hey, I'm trying to be nice, blondie. Do you want a ride to school, or don't you?" The redhead asked, and Roxas stared at him.  
" Uh, you... you want to give me a ride?" He asked, confused.

" Roxas! Come on, hop in! We're more than happy to give you a ride!" Kairi said from the passenger seat, and Roxas smiled. " Thanks, guys..." He said,  
then got in the backseat of Axel's car.

" So Roxas, does your face hurt?" Axel asked, and Roxas glared at him, but nodded. " Well, sorry I guess." Roxas rolled his eyes, then everyone was silent again. Once they got to school, they all piled out of the car. Roxas turned to Axel and smiled awkwardly. " Um, thanks. For the ride." He said, and Axel nodded and hummed a 'mmhmm'. Then, Kairi came up and linked her arm around Roxas'. " Well Rox, we should be getting to homeroom! See ya later, Ax!"

Then, Roxas was being dragged along behind Kairi, who was once again her hyperactive smiley self. Once they got to their homeroom, Roxas and Kairi sat down in their seats, and Kairi turned to the blonde. " I'm really sorry about your face, Roxas. Axel just gets carried away sometimes, and-"  
" No, it's my fault, I guess. It doesn't really hurt that much..." Roxas interrupted her, and Kairi bit her lip. " Well, okay, as long as you aren't in too much pain... so, how'd your mom and dad take it?"

" They took it pretty well, they didn't flip the hell out like I thought they would." Kairi smiled. " That's good. So uh, I guess you're wondering why Axel was being nicer today, huh?" She asked, and Roxas nodded. " Yeah, why is that?" " Well, I talked to him last night, and he agreed to at least give you a chance. So, maybe after school today, we can all go get ice cream!" Kairi said, and Roxas smiled. " I would like that, Kairi. So, off of that topic, tell me some stuff about you. You know a lot about me, but I only know that you're in yearbook club." Kairi lit up. " Well, it's really nice of you to ask, Roxas!"

The blonde winced inwardly, knowing that his ears would be bleeding by the end of this, but accepted his fate because he liked Kairi's enthusiasm.

" I'm a natural redhead, just like Axel, and I'm 15 years old, about to turn 16. Uh, I'm really into creative writing, and I can play a mean ukeleile." Kairi giggled at her words, then continued. " My favorite color is purple, and I'm hoping to become an author one day!" Roxas smiled. " That's really great, Kairi."  
He said, then sighed. " I'm just confused. If you and Axel are like, blood related, then why are your personalities polar opposites?"

Kairi's brows furrowed. " Well, everyone has their own unique personality, Roxas. If Axel is mean, arrogant and cocky, it doesn't mean that that's how I'll turn out. And the same thing the other way around. A person's personality changes as time passes, depending on what happens to them in their life. Axel turned out the way he is now because of..." Kairi trailed off, and Roxas prompted her to go on. " Maybe I can tell you another time, okay Roxas?" Kairi said, and turned her attention to her pencil.

Roxas was about to ask her what was wrong, but the bell just had to ring at that exact moment. They both got up and headed to the secret place in silence.

" HEY!" Demyx greeted them loudly, and Kairi immediately perked up. " Hi, Dem! Where's Marly and Saix?" She asked, sitting beside of him.  
" Marly messed his hair up and rushed off to the bathroom, so he should be here, but Saix didn't show up. Guess he slept in or something." Demyx shrugged, and Kairi nodded. " Yeah, probably."

Just then, Marluxia walked up, his eyes fixated on a mirror that he was holding in front of his face. " Oh, Maruxia, why must you ALWAYS be in front of a mirror?" Demyx groaned playfully, and Marluxia shot him a look that dripped with impatience. " Well, someone's cranky." Kairi said, and Marluxia sighed. " I just can't keep my hair to stay the way I put it in the mornings!" He said, and sat with his back against the brick wall. Demyx was about to say something when Axel came up.

" Hey hey hey, what's up?" The redhead sang, and Roxas rolled his eyes and said, " The sky." Axel glared at Roxas and sat down on the wall, then turned to Kairi. " So, any plans for today yet, little devil child?" Kairi huffed. " If anything, you're the devil child, Axel. And yeah, actually. I invited Roxas to go out for ice cream with us after school."

Axel glanced at Roxas, and sighed. " Fine, I guess that'll work. But I hope he ain't scared of heights, because we're going up to the clock tower."  
Roxas snorted. " I'm not scared of heights. I'm not really scared of anything, to tell you the truth." Marluxia laughed. " Rox, everyone is scared of something. I'm scared of bald people." Everyone stared at Marluxia. " What? Bald people don't have hair! I would die if I had no hair!" Demyx rolled his eyes, and said, " Okay, fine, but Marly is right, everyone is scared of something. I'm scared of spiders and creepy crawly bugs." He shuddered, and Kairi and Marluxia giggled.

" So, what are you scared of, Axel?" Demyx asked, and Axel tensed. " I..." Everyone stared at him. " I'm...I'm scared of..." Axel looked at Roxas,and the blonde raised an eyebrow. " Are you kidding me?" Axel turned back to the others. " I ain't scared of nothin', I'm Axel Flynn!" He jabbed his thumb at himself, and Kairi sighed. " You are so full of it, Axel. I'm scared of snakes." She supplied, and then the bell rang.

" Oh, time to go to our next class! C'mon, Roxas!" Kairi said, then jumped up and grabbed Roxas, pulling him off.

After the last class of the day, Roxas walked out of the door with Kairi, who was skipping and humming. " So, Roxas, what's your favorite type of ice cream?" She asked, and Roxas smiled. " It's sea-salt." " Oh, great! That's mine and Axel's favorite, too! So, do you need to call your parents and tell them that you'll be home late?" " Oh, yeah, I'll do that now." Roxas pulled out his phone and called his mom, who answered after three rings. " Yes, Roxas?  
What is it, is everything alright?" She asked, and Roxas laughed. " Everything's fine mom, but I'm gonna be late coming home, I'm going out for ice cream. I'll see you tonight, okay?" " Alright, Roxas, just be careful. Bye." Roxas hung up and nodded to Kairi.

" Okay, lets go find-" " YO!" A horn honked. " C'mon if you two are comin', I can't wait here all day." Axel yelled, and Kairi and Roxas walked over and got in.  
" So, we're going to go get the ice cream, then walk up to the clock tower and sit. I love the view, you can see the whole town." Axel said, and Roxas and Kairi nodded. The rest of the ride was silent, until they got to the ice cream shop.

Axel parked, and they all three got out and walked in. " Hi, I'd like three sea salt ice creams please." Axel said, and payed for the ice cream. " Oh, Axel you didn't need to pay for-" Roxas started, but Axel interrupted him. " Nah, it was easier just to pay for all three. Here ya go." Axel handed an ice cream to Kairi and one to Roxas, his hand accidentally brushing Axel's as he took the ice cream from him. Roxas shivered from the touch, and Axel must have noticed it.

" C'mon, lets go outside, short stack is cold in here." He said, pointing at him. Kairi rolled her eyes, and they walked out of the ice cream shop. " Alrighty then, to the clock tower!" Axel said, and they all started walking down the street toward the large clock tower a few blocks down.

Once thay made it to the top, Kairi walked over to the edge and threw her legs over, plopping down on the weathered brick rooftop. Axel took one side, and Roxas sat on the other side, putting Kairi in between them. " It's a really nice view, huh Roxas?" She asked, and Roxas nodded, taking a bite of his ice cream.  
" Yeah, it's really amazing. You really can see the whole town from here!" Axel chuckled. " Told ya."

It was a peaceful silence after that, and once they were all done with their ice cream, they started heading back to Axel's car. " So, thanks for inviting me to hang with you guys." Roxas said as Axel was driving him home. " Sure thing, Roxas." Axel said, and Roxas shivered. The way his name had rolled off of Axel's tongue- NO! What the hell was he thinking! He didn't like Axel, and Axel wasn't gay! At least, Roxas thought he wasn't gay...

" ROXAS!" Kairi's voice pulled Roxas out of his trance. " Huh?" " This is your house, right? We saw you walking out the door this morning..."  
" O-oh, yeah, this is my house! Sorry, I was just... thinking. Um, bye guys, I'll see you tomorrow." Roxas grabbed his bag and got out of the car, shutting the door behind him and walking up the steps to his house. As soon as he walked in, he called, " Mom, dad, I'm going to bed now, I've had a long day and I'm tired!"  
And he didn't wait to get an answer. He headed to his bedroom, shut the door, and stripped down to his boxers, not bothering to put his pajamas on, then layed down in his bed.

Why did he have those thoughts earlier? Why? What was wrong with him? He wasn't supposed to like Axel, as far as he knew, Axel still hated his guts!  
Roxas' eyelids started to get extremely heavy, and he soon worried himself into a deep sleep.

A/N: -_- I somehow have a feeling this chapter wasn't as good as the others. I'm not really disappointed, but, well, if any of you guys are, PLEASE tell me so I can work on the problems. Oh, and guess what? *smirks and turns a chair around so you all can see Demyx*  
Demyx: DDDX *tied up and gagged*  
Taytay: ^_^ So now he can't get to me with this little number. *holds up duct tape*  
Demyx: TT^TT/  
Taytay: :D I ALWAYS WIN! 


	6. NOTICE

NOTICE:

Oh my gosh guys, I am SO SO SOOO sorry that I haven't updated this in forever! I just had MAJOR writers block the past few months, and then I got into some various Anime, and that distracted me, and then school re-started... whew! I apologize IMMENSLY for abandoning this fic, but I promise, I swear on my grave, that I will have the next chapter up before the week ends. If I don't, you have permission to torture me. Thank you for tuning into this update!  
Again, SO SO SOOO SORRY!  
^^;; 


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: So, after days of writing and revising, here is the LONG-AWAITED next chapter of " What Hurts The Most" ! Read and Review, tell me if there is anything I can work on! Enjoy!

WARNING: There is sexual content in this chapter :3 Nothing too much, just some good old fashioned masturbation. ; )

The next morning, Roxas woke up late. Scrambling out of bed, he raced to his closet, tripping over his own feet several times. After a full 5 minutes, he was fully dressed, freshened, and ready to go. He grabbed his backpack and flew out the front door with a yelled, " Bye mom, bye dad!". Luckt for him, Axel's car was waiting for him outside. He jumped in the backseat and panted. When he opened his eyes (when had he closed them...?), he was greeted by a pair of worried green eyes. Roxas then realized that Kairi wasn't there, and it was just himself and Axel.

" Where... where's Kairi?" The blonde asked, and Axel turned back toward the front. " She got a ride with our mom this morning. For some reason, I knew you'd be late. Now get up here, it feels weird having someone in the backseat but no one in the front." He said, and Roxas, however hesitant, climbed in the front seat. " How'd you know I'd be late?" He asked as Axel drove off. The redhead shrugged. " I saw it in your eyes yesterday. Before Kairi yelled at you, you just looked so distracted, and I figured that, if you were anything like me, you wouldn't be able to sleep until you dropped dead from thinking too much."

Roxas stared. " You compared me to yourself?" he asked, and Axel snorted. " Yeah, but don't let it get to your head, you little shit. I'm still Axel Flynn, and I'll beat your ass if you start acting like me." Roxas rolled his eyes, but smiled. After a minute, Axel reached over and opened the console of the car, shifting around for something. Roxas almost blushed when his mind registered that Axel was half-stretched across him, but he willed it away. " You little..." Axel muttered, then made a little 'aha!' of victory as he pulled out a clear disk sleeve with a blank CD in it.

" Here, listen to this." He said, and popped the CD into the CD player. Roxas listened intently to the rock music that started pouring out of the speakers, then gasped as the voice started in on the song: " Don't tell me what to think, 'cause I don't care this time. Don't tell me what to believe, 'cause you won't be there to catch me when I fall, or need me when I'm not here at all. Miss me when I'm gone again, yeah yeah~"

Roxas stared at Axel. " That's... that's you singin, isn't it?" He asked, shocked. Axel nodded. " Yeah. Me, Demyx, Saix and a few other guys used to be in a band. That was the first song that I wrote. Well, that was the first song I wrote for the actual band." At this, Roxas frowned. " I didn't know you wrote songs, Axel..." The redhead shrugged once again. " There's a lot of things you don't know about me, blondie." He remarked, and pulled into the school parking lot. After he parked the car, Axel grabbed his bag and waited for Roxas to get out so he could lock the doors. After the doors were all locked, Axel started to walk off, but Roxas called him back. " Hey, Axel?" Axel paused and turned around. " What now?" Roxas sighed, Axel was back to his normal grumpy self. Then the blonde smiled. " So, you want to get ice cream again today? I'll pay this time." Axel was silent for a second, then grinned. " Sure thing. You and Kairi meet me at the car after school." Then he walked off.

Roxas stood there staring at Axel's back as he walked away, then realized that he should be heading to class, too. He rushed into the building and to his classroom, ready to start a whole day of boring lessons. When he walked into the room, Mr. Prince glared at him, but said nothing as he made his way to his seat beside of Kairi. " Hey Kai, we're going to get ice cream after school with your brother again today." Roxas whispered, and Kairi smiled. " Oh, great! I'm glad Axel's actually giving you achance and not being a complete dick anymore." She said, then started to scribble in her notebook. Roxas sighed and, with a small smile, pulled out his sketch book and started to draw.

After the bell had rang to go to lunch, Roxas had slipped out to the clearing behind the school to eat. He gasped, though, when he found Demyx being shoved roughly agianst the wall by a slightly shorter boy with slate gray hair, then kissed. Demyx's aqua colored eyes widened, then darted over to Roxas, who was blushing furiously. Demyx grunted, then pushed the boy off of him. " Ze-Zexion! Stop it, not now! We're scaring poor little Roxy!" Demyx said, panting slightly. The other boy turned to Roxas, then blushed himself and hid his face in Demyx's shoulder, hugging his waist tightly. Demyx laughed. " Aw, c'mon, Zex. Meet our new friend." Roxas heard the other boy, Zexion apparently, mumble something, and Demyx laughed harder and pulled away from his hug, dragging him over to Roxas.

" Rox, this is Zexion, my boyfriend! Zex, this is Roxas, ou-" " Roxas Strife, correct?" Zexion asked, and Roxas nodded. " Yeah, that's me. How do you know my-" " We have Science together. You really don't pay attention to your classmates, do you?" At this, Roxas flushed. " I um, well... n-not really." He ended the sentence with an airy laugh while scratching the back of his head. Zexion shook his head and sighed. Then, he turned to Demyx and smiled slightly, leaning up to press a sweet kiss on the dirty blondes lips. " I have to go now. See you guys later." He said, then walked off. Demyx turned to Roxas after Zexion was out of sight.

" Heh, sorry you had to witness that, Roxy, he just decided to get frisky when I told him I was coming to sit back here with you guys today." Just then, Marluxia came running around the corner at full speed, screaming, " HELP ME GUYS, SAIX IS GONNA MURDER MEEEEEEE!" The pink haired boy hid behind Demyx and Roxas as they all watched the little wrought iron gate for any sign of the blue haired lunatic known as Saix. The gate flew open and cracked loudly against the brick wall, then a very pissed-off Saix appeared in front of the three a split second later. " Marluxia, what in the FUCK." He growled lowly, and Marluxia yelped.

" I didn't mean to do that, Saix, it just popped out and I had no clue he was standing right there and then you started blushing and I couldn't help but laugh and-" " HOLD UP!" Roxas yelled, and everything went still and silent, except for Saix's angered huffs. " Why don't you start by explaining what happened, Saix?" Said bluenette growled deeply, then started, " I was at my locker when this dumbass came up and started talking to me about this guy, whom I MIGHT have acrush on. Then he said it out loud, and everyone turned to look at us, then I realized that SAID GUY was staring RIGHT at me. I blushed, naturally, then pinky had to go and bust out laughing and said, " What is it? You look like you do after you have those naughty thoughts about Xemnas!" AND HE WAS STANDING RIGHT THERE, AND NOW I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Saix tried to get around the two blondes, but suddenly Axel and Kairi were there and holding his arms. " Woah, calm down!" Kairi said, and Axel bent down to whisper something into Saix's ear, and the bluenette immediately relaxed, and stopped his huffing. Roxas raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. " And now, we need to know what happened." Axel said, and Marluxia groaned as Saix re-told his story. Then the two redheads were glaring at Marluxia. " HOW COULD YOU HUMILIATE HIM LIKE THAT, MARLY!?" They both yelled, and Demyx flinched as Marluxia dug his fingers into his shoulders. " I'm sorry, I didn't even realize what was going on at the time. I'm sorry, Saix." He said, and Saix just sighed and sat on the wall.

It was then that Roxas realized, that was the first time Saix had spoken a word since Roxas first got there. He was about to think on the situation, then decided against it and sat down on the wall beside of Kairi and Axel. They all got quieter, even though Marluxia was still spouting out apologies and Demyx was randonly singing an unknown song. Roxas was about to say something when Axel yelled, " GOD DAMNED IT!" Everyone jumped and looked at him. " What, Axel?" Kairi asked, then laughed when she noticed the icing from a cupcake smeared on Axel's jeans. Axel glared at everyone, daring them to make a comment, as he scooped up the icing with his finger.

Roxas watched with lidded eyes as Axel brought the finger up to his lips and slowly licked the light blue icing off of it. He watched as Axel's tongue curled around his finger, getting every last drop of his c- ' WOAH. Where the heck had THAT come from!?' Roxas thought as he jumped, startling himself out of his trance. He was probably flushed a deep scarlet color, as his face was burning, and there was a weird numbing feeling in his lower stomach. Roxas wasn't stupid, he knew what htat meant. He quickly jumped up, thankful for his oversized hoodie, and grabbed his backback up and slung it over his shoulder.

" Ah guys, I have to go do something before the next class starts, so I'll see you guys later!" He said quickly, then ran off without waiting for so much as a 'goodbye'. He immediately ran to the closest bathroom and locked himself in a stall, glad that nobody else was in there. Dropping his backpack over the stall door, he leaned against the cold tile wall and panted, trying to catch his breath. What the hell had he been thinking back there? More importantly, WHY was he thinking it? Roxas just shook his head, clearing it of those pestering questions.

He looked down, then realized he was half-hard. Groaning, the blonde ran a hand through his hair, contemplating on what to do. Splash some water on his face and leave it, or...

He decided on the second option.

Sliding his zipper down, Roxas bit back a moan as he pulled his member out and stroked it to full hardness, then started teasing the tip with his thumb. ' I can't believe I'm doing this in here...' He ran two fingers down to the base, then back up to the head and smeared the droplets of pre-cum over the tip. He moaned quietly, then got impatient and wrapped his entire hand around his member, pumping slowly at first, but picking up the pace soon enough. " Ah... ngh, oh god..." Roxas whimpered as his strokes got harder, faster, until- " Oh god, A-Axel!" He moaned loudly as he came, still pumping and riding out his orgasm. Once he came down from his high, Roxas immediately felt an impending sensation in the pit of his stomach.

Guilt. He had just masturbated to a guy he barely even knew in a school bathroom. Roxas groaned at his actions and cleaned himself off, then zipped his pants back up and unlocked the bathroom stall. He walked to the sinks and washed his hands, then splashed some cold water on his face. He picked up his backpack, and just as he walked out, the bell rang, and he headed to his next class.

After school was over, he couldn't look Axel in the eyes. The ride to the ice cream shoppe was silent except for Kairi's excited babbling about her yearbook club, and the air was slightly dense. Roxas looked at his hands the whole time, and Axel kept his eyes on the road. It was like, he KNEW about what Roxas had done. ' No, he couldn't have. I was positive he'd just let me be and not worry... but what if he followed me and... oh god please no...' Roxas was mentally cursing everything in the world at the time, and he didn't realize that the car had stopped until Kairi screamed, " ROXAS WE'RE HERE SO STOP DRIFTING OFF!" Roxas jumped, and accidentally hit his head on the cieling part of the car.

Axel laughed, then got out of the car and walked into the ice cream shoppe. Roxas stuttered as he struggled to get out of the car and ace after him. " Axel, I told you I'D pay today- AH!" As soon as he ran in, Roxas slipped on a puddle of water, and he shut his eyes tightly, waiting for his head to hit the floor, but it never happened. When he opened his eyes, he immediately blushed and sputtered out, " A-Axel, wh-what the he-" " Hey, if you wanted to have your brains splattered everywhere, I could easily drop you." The redhead interrupted, and Roxas looked into his eyes.

They were so green... it was like staring into two of the clearest emeralds ever... as he stared, Roxas felt his guilt being replaced by something else - something he didn't comprehend. He stood up, blush still on his face, and sighed. " On second thought, Axel, maybe it's be best if I went on home today." " What? But you were the one who suggested-" " I know, I know, but I have a lot of homework, and I kinda don't feel up for the walk to the clock tower today. Here." Roxas pulled some money out of his wallet and handed it to Axel. " You and Kairi can still get some ice cream. One me, as promised. I just want to go home, 'kay?"

Axel looked as if he wanted to shove the money down Roxas' throat, but sighed and nodded. " Alright, you win. I'll take you home. But as punishment, you HAVE to come tomorrow, go it?" Axel said, then walked out of the ice cream shoppe without another word, ignoring the confused stares the cashier and the couple customers were giving them. Roxas got back in the backseat, and Axel started the car up and drove off. " What's going on, guys?" Kairi asked, and Roxas explained. " Oh, okay then... hope you get everything done and get enough sleep tonight, Rox, you look like you need it." She said.

After they reached Roxas' house, he said goodbye to Axel and Kairi, then walked inside and to his room, not bothering to read the note that was taped to his door. It was just his parents telling him that they were at some random place getting things for the house, like always. He layed down on his bed, and stared into space as he contemplated his thoughts. ' Why did I think of Axel like that at lunch? Why did I... ugh. I STILL can't believe I actually did that in the school's bathroom.' Roxas shook his head and walked to the bathroom, then stripped and took a long relaxing shower. After he changed into some clean lounge clothes, Roxas decided to go ahead and go to bed, seeing as to how he lied about homework, and he really WAS pretty tired.

After a few minutes of just laying there, Roxas felt his eyelids get heavy, and he soon drifted off into a deep sleep... filled with dreams of... oh man, not Axel again...

A/N: I don't know about the end of this chapter... but meh, it's been four months, this is really all just off the top of my head. I had NOTHING planned out, and I only got like, up to the music/car scene written in school yesterday, and all the rest is just the product of my very fast imagination. And it is currently 1:14 AM on Thursday morning, and I have to get up for school at 5:30 AM. You people had best be happy with this chapter, 'cause I stayed up all night working on it for you! xD

The song Axel "supposedly" sang is Going Down In Flames by Three Doors Down~

Anyway, thank you for tuning in to this update, and I promise to have the next chapter up by (at the LATEST) sometime next week. Please review! I'm thinking about starting to reply to reviews at the beginnings of my chapters. Do you guys think I should? Tell me your opinion, and tell me how I could improve! 


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Well then, here I am again with chapter 7! Sorry for the delay, but my computer is being uber slow, so I have to do this at school. ((Praying to God that I won't get in trouble))  
Anyway, thank you for the reviews... even though there was only a few. WE NEED MORE READERS! And If there is anyone out there reading this that hasn't reviewed, thanks for tuning in for the updates!  
ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

/Axel/

After he'd driven Roxas home, Axel took Kairi back to the Clock Tower with some ice cream. Kairi had seemed confused about taking Roxas home, even after he'd explained it to her. " But... why did he go home?" She asked her brother for the fourth time. Axel sighed. " Kairi, he said he was tired. He asked me to take him home, and so I did. What's so hard to understand about that?" He asked, and Kairi shrugged and took a bite of her ice cream.

" It's just that... he seemed perfectly fine this morning, and even though he did get a little silent at the end of the day, he still didn't seem too tired. And in the car, the tension was so thick I could have sliced a freakin' tomato with it!" She exclaimed, and Axel chuckled. " Oh but Kai', you hate tomatoes. Remember?" He said, and Kairi shuddered. " Yeah, I remember. On my fifth birthday, you and your friends threw tomatoes at me. It was apparently ' Birthday Tomato Time!' As you guys had put it." She said, and then giggled at the memory.

Axel smiled and shook his head. " What happened, Kai'?" He asked rhetorically, and Kairi frowned. " What do you mean, what happened?" She asked, and Axel sighed and scratched the back of his head. " I mean... When we were kids, we had fun all the time. We never fought - y'know, like for real fought. It was all for fun. Mom and dad didn't yell at us. We had friends that would come over every day to play. We... we didn't have all these stupid things to deal with, like drama and romance, and all that. What happened?" Axel layed back and stared at the setting sun as he finished his ice cream.

Kairi smiled sadly. " Some things change, Axel. Sometimes it's not a good change, but it still happens. I mean, when I started High School, I felt like I was on top of the world. I felt like nothing could hurt me, and nothing could bring me down or make me sad. But then I realized that I wasn't a kid anymore, and that those days of innocence were gone. I felt so bad. Then... then Ventus left." Axel grimaced at the mention of his old crush.

" After he left, I had nobody. Well, 'cept you, but you were being an asshole at the time. I mean, sure, I had still had friends, but Xion wasn't much help, and Namine did nothing but draw and read all day. I'd never felt so alone in my entire life. I might as well tell you this, Axel, I cried myself to sleep every night holding a picture of me, you, Ventus and Demyx. You know that picture in my frame on my nightstand? The one from when I was six and we had all went to the beach for summer vacation? That one. Mom did a great job at taking that picture. It's like the picture itself holds so many different feelings." Kairi said, and she wiped her eyed when she noticed she was crying.

Axel sat up and wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders, then wiped her eyes on his sleeve. " Don't cry, Kai'. You said yourself, changes will happen no matter what. We just gotta go with the flow and hope to end up on the other side in one piece. And besides, Ventus turned out to be a dick anyway, and you still have Demyx. And I'm here whenever you need to talk, mmkay?" He said, and Kairi smiled and nodded. " Yeah, okay. Why are you being all nice all of a sudden?" She asked, and Axel shrugged. " I dunno, I just don't feel like being a jerk right now, I guess."

Kairi glanced up at the sky. " I think we need to head home, Axel, looks like it'll be getting dark soon." She said as she examined the sun, which was almost completely hidden by the trees in the distance. Axel nodded, then stood up. " Yeah, I guess you're right. Lets go." He said, then he and Kairi started down the Clock Tower and back to Axel's car. After he'd driven them home, Axel parked the car and walked inside, with Kairi right behind him.

" Mom, dad, we're home!" Kairi called, and Elena came out from the kitchen and smiled at the two of them. " It's about time you two got home, dinner's almost done!" She scolded playfully. After she'd disappeared back into the kitchen, Axel turned to Kairi and gave her a look that said ' What the hell?' Kairi just shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Reno was sitting at the table sipping on a cup of coffee, and Elena was stirring something in a pot. Axel smiled and walked over to her. " Hey mom, need any help?" He asked,a nd Elena stared at him, shocked that he'd offered assistance.

" Ah, well, sure, you could finish stirring the spagetti. Make sure the water is completely soaked into the noodles that way I can mix the sauce in." She said,a nd Axel smiled and took the ladel from her and started stirring the plain spagetti noodles. Elena walked over to the opposite counter and worked on getting the sauce just right, while Reno and Kairi sat at the table whispering about being in an alternate universe, where Axel isn't a giant asshole.

After a minute, Elena drained the noodles and poured them into the bowl with the sauce, and Axel stirred it around, making sure that not a single noodle was left un-sauced ((A/N: When my mom makes spagetti and I find a plain noodle on my plate, I tell her that " You left this noodle un-sauced, therefore this spagetti is contaminated." She just laughs. xD)). After the spagetti noodles were completely covered, Elena set out plates in front of Reno and Kairi, then set two more for herself and Axel. She dipped spagetti onto each of them, then forecefully took Reno's cup of coffee and replaced it with a coke, and filled three more glasses with soda and gave them to Axel and Kairi, then sat hers down.

" So, what's with the sudden family dinner night, guys?" Kairi asked, and Reno smiled. " Well, we figured it'd been so long since we'd actually had dinner, and your mother's cooking can get pretty shabby when she goes a long time without - OOF!" Reno's words were cutt off as Elena kicked him in the shin from under the table. " I can cook perfectly fine, thank you very much, EVEN when I don't cook every day." She said, and Axel and Kairi laughed. " You guys are almost as bad as us." Axel said, then took a bite of his spagetti. " Hmm, it's really good! You didn't screw the sauce up for once, mom!" He said, and grinned as Elena's foot missed his leg by a centimeter.

" Axel Flynn, you are so going to get it when I get up from this table." She growled, but there was a spark of playfulness in her eyes. They all settled down to eat, then when they were done, Axel took the liberty of putting the dishes in the dishwasher and starting it up. " Welp, now that dinner is over with, I guess I should head to my bedroom and be lazy." He said, then went to his bedroom after he'd said goodnight to everyone, and recieved a slap to the stomach from his mom for his 'punishment'.

Since he didn't have any homework to finish, Axel stripped and went to his personal bathroom to take a shower. As the hot water spilled down his back, Axel's thoughts drifted to Roxas. Why DID he ditch them? He didn't look that tired, just like Kairi had said. ' He probably had a shit-load of homework...' he thought, then chuckled at the thought of the blonde getting all frustrated from being yelled at for not doing his homework. His face would get flushed and he'd have beads of sweat rolling down his neck,a nd it would make Axel just wanna lick them off, and - WOAH. What. The. Actual. Fuck.

Axel turned the water off and he dried off, then stared at himself in the mirror. ' Did I really just think about Roxas that way?' He asked himself, then felt his eyes get heavy, and passed it off as his thoughts being jumbled from tiredness. He went back to his room and put on a clean pair of boxers, and almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

A/N: WOO! I got this chapter finished in under an hour! Is it as crappy as I think it is? :(  
I'm pretty damned proud of myself for finishing this, but sadly, I can't upload it here 'cause my school blocks .

Well, reviews are very much appreciated.  
I'd also love to know if you think this story is progressing too slowly. I already have the next chapter planned out, but it's like, five minutes until school lets out, so yeah.  
Tell me if you think this story is being too slow!  
COOKIES FOR ALL! *passes out cookies!*

((Hours later))  
FINALLY! I am now at home, so it has been uploaded! *does a happy dance* 


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: I have returned with an update! Yay! *throws a party*  
Ha, just kidding. No party yet. Anyway, same as last time, I have a little under an hour to write this chapter, 'cause once again, I am at school. I have it planned out though, so I think it should go by pretty fast :)  
Thank you all for the reviews from the last chapter! I appreciate them, so here are some virtual cupcakes! :D *gives cupcakes*  
Onward with chapter 8!

* * *

/Axel/

Axel groaned as his alarm clock started ringing the next morning. He had only gotten a couple hours of sleep the night before, so he had a slight headache. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and reached over to shut the alarm clock off. He was just about to get out of bed when Kairi slammed his door open and yelled, " Axel, we're gonna be late!" Axel jumped when his door hit the wall, and glared at his sister. " What the hell!?" He growled.

Kairi looked down at the floor. " I just wanted to tell you... I don't want Roxas to worry." She said, and Axel raised an eyebrow. " Do you like Roxas or something?" He asked, and Kairi immediately blushed and yelled, " N-NO! I don't like Roxas that way!" Axel shook his head, then got up and steered Kairi to the door, shutting it behind her and locking her out.

" Wha- HEY!" She yelled, and banged on the door. Axel punched it. " Shut your whining, I have to get ready! Would you like to watch me strip, little sis?" He asked, and could hear a choking noise from outside the door. " Blegh, no thank you!" Kairi said, then walked away from her brother's door.

Axel grumbled about siblings, then went to his closet and got out some clean clothes. He slipped them on, then grabbed his bag and car keys and headed to the kitchen. " Yo, Kai', hurry up, will ya? You were the one in a hurry in the first place." He said. Kairi bit into a warm poptart and raced out the door, pastry still in her mouth. Axel shook his head and grabbed the other one, then headed out to his car.

The redhead got in and started the car up, then drove off to Roxas's house.

/Roxas/

Roxas stared at his reflection in tthe full length mirror in his room. His golden blonde spikes were sticking up everywhere, like normal, but his clothes were... different. He'd decided to wear the clothes that his old friend Hayner had given him once. The outfit consisted of black skinny jeans, a tight black tank top underneath a loose gray t-shirt, a red and black studded belt, and red converses. He looked... he couldn't think of a word to describe it. It didn't look bad, per say... but it didn't look absolutely amazing, like Hayner'd said it would. Roxas shrugged and walked over to his bed.

He picked his phone up and stuffed it into his pocket, and just as he picked his bag up, a horn honked from outside. Roxas looked out of his window and smiled. It was Axel and Kairi, waiting like always. The blonde hurried out the front door and got into the backseat of Axel's car. " Hey guys!" He said, and frowned when there was no answer. " Wha- " " Roxas... what in the HELL are you wearing?" Axel asked slowly. Roxas blushed. " I-It was from a friend, I figured I'd w-wear it- " He was interrupted by Axel and Kairi laughing. Roxas scowled. " HEY! It's not funny!"

" N-no, we aren't laughing at you... w-we're laughing because you honestly th-thought you looked bad!" Kairi said between laughs, and Roxas blushed more. " But I don't look great, either, so there." He grumbled, and the redheads's laughter died down. " Actually, Roxy," Axel cooed, VERY un-Axel-like, " I think you look pretty damn hot in that get-up." This made Kairi's mouth fall to the floor, and Roxas's eyes widened and his blush was on the verge of melting his face off. Axel ignored them and drove off toward school.

Once they got there, Axel parked the car and waited on Kairi and Roxas. " Well, ice cream after school today, or you feelin' too bad to go, Rox?" Axel asked, and Roxas shook his head. " N-no, I can go." He studdered, and Kairi giggled. Axel gave the burgundy-haired girl a death glare, and she immediately shut up and looked straight ahead. " Okay then, see you guys at lunch." Axel said, then ran off to his first class.

Roxas sighed and shifted his bag on his shoulder. " You like him, don't you?" Kairi asked, and Roxas sputtered, " N-N-NO! I d-don't like Axel, I-I - " " Save it." Kairi interruted, suddenly serious. " I can tell you like him. You blush every time you're around him, and whenever he gets close to you, you always find an excuse to get away from him. So you might as well fess up, you've been caught." She said, and Roxas hung his head. " Yeah yeah, okay. I like Axel." He said, and Kairi smiled. " I knew it. So, aren't you gonna do anything about it?" She asked, and Roxas shook his head. " No, that would be like digging my own grave. If I made a move on your brother, he'd either kill me instantly or humiliate me and THEN kill me."

Kairi frowned at this. " Axel isn't all that bad, really. Most of that jerky stuff is just an act. He's really a nice person at heart, and I'm sure that if you just gave him a chance to talk to you, you'd realize that too." She said, and Roxas looked at her. " But that's just it, Kairi! If I ask him to sit down and talk to me, he won't, because he'll think it would put a dent in his pride! He wouldn't even listen to half of what I have to say, and even if he did, I'd probably just freeze up and say something stupid anyway." He said, and was about to add something when the bell rang. " We're gonna be late." Kairi said, then walked off toward their class, Roxas following slowly behind.

* * *

At lunch that day, Roxas met up with Sora instead of going to the usual spot where Axel and the others were. " Sure, you can eat with us today! I can introduce you to our friends!" Sora said, leading Roxas to a shady tree on the opposite side of the campus than the brick wall. Roxas felt sort of bad for ditching his friends, but he needed more time to figure out what he could possibly say to Axel. Being arounf the redhead wasn't going to help that matter, after all.

As Sora and Roxas neared the tree, Riku smiled up at them from his seat in the soft green grass. " Hey, Roxas, long time no see. What possessed you to eat with us today?" He asked, and Roxas thought up an excuse. " Um, Axel is being extra jerky and Kairi and Demyx aren't there to save me from him." The blonde felt even worse for lying about Axel, but he couldn't let his feelings slip up just yet.

" Ah. I can see that happening. Oh well, you're always welcome here with us." Riku replied, and Sora and Roxas sat down. " Oh, Roxas, this is Namine and Xion!" Sora suddenly said, jesturing to two girls. One had shoulder length blonde hair and wore a loose white sweater, light gray skinny jeans and white boots. The other girl had shorter black hair and wore a black t-shirt and black skinny jeans with dark blue and black ankle boots. The blonde smiled and held her hand out. " Hi Roxas, I'm Namine. It's great to meet you." She said, and Roxas smiled as he shook her hand. " Hi, Namine." He replied. The black haired girl smiled too, but she ducked her head down and blushed.

" Oh, you'll have to forgive my cousin, she's extremely shy." Namine said, and patted Xion's head lightly. " Ha, it's okay, Namine. It's nice to meet you, Xion." Roxas said, and the black haired girl nodded, her eyes still hidden by the few chunks of hair that hung down in her eyes. After that, the five of them ate their lunch silently, and Roxas let his thoughts wander to Axel. What was he going to say to him? He couldn't just come out and say ' Hey, I sort of have a huge crush on you, and I totally jacked off to you in the bathroom that one time, will you go out with me?', because that would be stupid. Then what...

" ROXAS!" Roxas jumped as Sora yelled in his ear. " WHA - !" The four others giggled slightly. " I said, are you doing anything after school? Because if not, we were all gonna go downtown to the mall and hang out." The brunette repeated, and before Roxas could think, he agreed. " Sure, that'd be great, guys!" Just as he said this, the bell rang, and he stood up. " Well, I guess I'll go to class now, see you guys after school!" Roxas then ran of, and it wasn;t until he was halfway to his next class that he remembered Axel and Kairi.

" Fuuuuuuck..." He cursed himself for not catching himself sooner, and continued slowly to class. Once he got there, he sat beside of Kairi, whom was also in this class. " Hey Kai, you mind if I take a rain check for after school today?" He asked, and Kairi looked at him. " This isn't about Axel, is it?" She asked, and Roxas shook his head. " No, I just figured that I'd head down to the mall and get some new clothes, y'know?" Roxas told her half of the truth. Kairi smiled. " Ah, we can come with you!" She said, and Roxas shook his head. " N-no! It's okay, it's not that far a walk, and it's really nice out today. I'm only going for a little bit anyway." He said, and Kairi nodded. " Alright then, but if you decide to come get ice cream after, me and Axel will be at the clock tower until at least sunset." She said, and Roxas smiled and nodded, " Okay." He said, then got to work when the teacher gave them their assignments.

* * *

A/N: Really sorry this chapter was so short, guys, it was actually harder to write than I thought, and the bell is about to ring and I still have to save this, cut this copmuter off, put my stuff up and throw away some extra un-needed work!  
So, I will update sooner (hopefully) since this one was so short!  
Now, short ending authors note, too!  
REVIEW PLZ!

(Hours later again x3)

Ah, sorry for the rushed ending and end authors note, but I didn't keep track of time earlier like I normally did. xD But as promised, I will try and update sooner this time as to make up for the shortness.  
Review and tell me how it's going so far!


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: Back! This will be a quick chapter for you guys, but it might be the most interesting one yet :D So I'll skip the rant about random stuff and get straight to it!  
Oh, but I'd like to thank my loyal reviewers! You guys are really making finishing this story easier with your support! Thank you so much!

/Kairi/

Kairi glowered at her feet as she walked out of the school building and to Axel's car. How was she supposed to tell him about Roxas ditching them? She sighed when she looked up and saw her brother staring, confused, at her. " Where's Roxas?" He asked, and Kairi shook her head. " He left to go to the mall. He said he had to get some clothes, or something like that." She said, and Axel frowned. " He just ditched us like that?" He mumbled, then shrugged and got in the car. " Oh well, that just means I won't have to pay for his ice cream." The redhead said, and Kairi got in the passengers seat.

They drove to the ice cream shoppe and got their ice cream, then went up to the clock tower. They sat on the same side they always sat on. The side that shows the distant mountains full of trees, and the beautiful sunset. The other side showed the rest of the town. Kairi sighed and stared at the scene before her. Somehow.. it didn't seem the same now that Roxas had been up there with them so many times.

/Roxas/

Roxas smiled at Sora's blush as Riku grabbed his hand. They were at the mall, just walking inside. Namine giggled at their display, and Sora blushed deeper. " C'mon guys, stop! I'm allowed to blush!" He whined, and Roxas nodded. " Yeah, but you aren't supposed to act like such a uke, Sora." He said, and Sora immediately pulled his hand from Riku's and took a playful swipe at Roxas's head. Roxas ducked in time to not get hit, and Riku chuckled and grabbed Sora by the waist. " Calm down, short stack." The silver haired boy (A/N: Boy... man... guy? o_o I have no idea...) said. " Hey, I'm not short, everyone else is just taller than normal human beings." The brunette raplied, and Namine cut in. " Oh yeah, like YOU'RE normal?" She said, and Sora sighed and gave up on fighting anymore.

Everyone laughed at Sora's defeat, then continued walking to the food court. They sat down at a booth once they got there and ordered some drinks from the waitress. " So, what do you guys usually do besides just hang out at the food court at the mall?" Roxas asked, taking a sip of his pepsi when the waitress sat it in front of him. Riku shrugged. " I guess we don't really do anything special, just come here and eat, then go down to the movie theatre if there are any new movies out. Which, right now, That vampire shit is there, so Sora and I aren't getting anywhere NEAR it." At this, Riku visibly shivered, and Namine gasped. " HEY! Twilight is great!" She repiled, and Sora rolled his eyes.

" Yeah, the typical ' fall in love with an immortal even though it's forbidden, almost get killed a couple of times and then have it all end happily' crap." He said, even though he was still smiling. Namine glowered into her sierra mist. " I kinda agree with Sora and Riku..." All eyes were on Xion. The black haired girl was actually looking up, though she had a blush on her face that deepened when four sets of eyes landed on her. " I-I mean, it's not original... It's the oldest type of romance in the b-book..." She studdered, and Sora nodded and smiled smugly.

" Yeah, now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" He said, and Riku and Roxas rolled their eyes. Roxas looked at his phone. " Hey guys, I think I should be going." At this, Namine, Sora and Riku groaned. " Aww, ya gotta leave so early, Rox?" Sora asked, and the blonde nodded. " Yeah, I should probably be getting home. Thanks for bringing me here, guys." He said, standing up. " Wait, we drove you, how will you get home?" Namine asked, and RIku said, " I can drive you, if you'd like."

Roxas shook his head. " Nah, I can walk, but thanks anyway, Riku. My house isn't that far from here. Bye guys, see you tomorrow!" Roxas called, running off. He was out of the mall before the others could even blink. Roxas looked up. The sun was just starting to set. Maybe he could get home before-

Just then, he remembered Kairi's offer. 'Alright then, but if you decide to come get ice cream after, me and Axel will be at the clock tower until at least sunset.' Roxas smiled hopefully. Maybe he could catch them before they left, and maybe even get to have ice cream after all, if he got there in time. The blonde started toward the clock tower, fully intent on getting there in under five minutes.

He had almost reached the clock tower when he heard footsteps behind him. Roxas turned around, expecting to see Riku or Sora coming to ask him why he wasn't heading home, but saw no one. He continued to stare at the empty space, then turned back around and continued to the clock tower, and up to the top. When he was about halfway up, there were footsteps again, and he turned again. Still, there wasn't anyone behind him. ' Calm down, Rox, you're being paranoid for absolutely no reason. Theres hardly ever any crime in Twilight Town.' He reassured himself, then continued to the top of the clock tower.

Once he got there, Axel and Kairi looked back at him and smiled. " Oh hey, so you made it after all!" Kairi said, and Axel shook his head. " Ditching us for clothes, Roxas? Really?" He said, then laughed at Roxas's distraught face. " It's okay, no hard feelings. So, why don't you-"

" I don't think he's gonna get the chance to do anything with you, Axel Flynn."

/Axel/

Axel's eyes widened as three figures stepped out from the shadows. The tallest was a boy with brown hair. He was wearing a weird looking brown top and cream colored pants with black boots. The second was a girl with bluish hair, paler than Saix's yet a deeper blue. She was wearing the exact same top, only blue, with gray pants and black boots. Then, when his eyes traveled to the last one, the one who had spoke, Axel's eyes nearly popped out of his head and rolled over the edge of the clock tower.

Ventus. It was the same Ventus who had laughed and frowned and yelled and cried with he and Kairi for so many years... and the same Ventus who had broke his heart. So... why was he back now, after all that time of being gone?

" Axel. After being gone for so long, I decided to pay you and Kairi a visit. This is Terra and Aqua, my new friends." Ventus gestured to the boy and the girl. " How have you been, Kairi?" Ventus asked, his eyes still locked onto Axel's. Kairi stayed silent, not knowing whether to hug Ventus and cry or punch him and scream. Roxas was looking on with wide eyes, not knowing at all what was going on, or who these newcomers were, except that the one talking looked almost exactly like him. Well, except that the other boy was taller and had brown highlight in his otherwise golden hair.

Axel felt anger building up in his chest. After all that time, after everything he'd put him through, Ventus had the nerve to come back and act as if nothing had happened!? " Axel..." Kairi whispered, laying a hand on her brother's shoulder to try and calm him down, sensing that he was about to go on a rampage. " What...?" Axel ground out, staring into Ventus's unwavering blue eyes. The redhead noticed that Roxas's eyes were much brighter than his. A prettier blue. Ventus chuckled. " What do you mean, what?" He asked, a sort of superior air about him.

That was all it took for Axel to let it all out. " You honestly think I'm just gonna stand here and small talk with you after what you did to me!? You really think that I wanted to see your face again? You had been there for me and Kairi since we were born, Ventus! You were always so sweet, fun, playful, even when you were being mean you didn't mean any harm! You and I practically raised Kairi when she was little! We did everything together, Ven! Then I realize how I truly felt about you, and you go and do what you did!?" Axel said, hsi voice getting louder with each word until he was screaming his lungs out.

Kairi stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders to keep him from going after the slightly shorter blonde. She didn't realize she was crying until a tear fell down her cheek. " What did I do, exactly? I don't remember, maybe you should refresh my memory, hmm?" Ventus said, that smug smile still stretched across his face. Terra looked... eerily pleased. Aqua looked slightly taken aback, as if she had no idea this was going to happen.

Axel tried to hold back his own tears to preserve his pride, but he just couldn't do it as he yelled out, " You broke my heart, Ventus!" Ventus's dark blue eyes were unfased. " You told me I was disgusting and pathetic! You said I should be locked away from the world because 'my kind' were a disgrace to society!" Then, Kairi gasped as her hands were jerked from Axel's shoulders when he lunged forward. " Axel, NO!" She screamed, but it did no good. Axel raised his fist, about to sock Ventus right in his prissy little mouth, when there was a cold hard CRACK on the back of his head.

" AXEL!?" Both Roxas and Kairi screamed, as Axel's body fell to the ground, and Terra, holding a led pipe, started practically beating the hell out of him. Ventus joined in with his fists, and The other three were left speechless for about a second before rushing in to stop the fight. Aqua grabbed the led pipe from Terra's hands and threw it off the edge of the clock tower, silently hoping it would miss any innocent bypassers. She grabbed Terra's fist when he went to hit the redhead, stopping him. Kairi was screaming and crying for Ventus to stop hurting Axel, weakly punching his back and trying to drag him off of her brother.

/Roxas/

" Ventus, STOP!" It was Roxas. He sucked in his fear and grabbed the hair on Ventus's head, jerking it back and giving him a hard punch right in the nose. Ventus gasped and cursed as blood started pouring out of his nose, then turned to Roxas. Roxas backed up slightly, realizing just how intimidating the other blonde was. He was taller than Roxas, but not as tall as Axel was. He gave off a seemingly tense and angry aura. Roxas was about to say something when Aqua cut him off. " Ventus, this is NOT what you told us was going to happen. Now lets get out of here, I don;t want to get in trouble when the police get here." She said, and Ventus sneered down at Roxas, then turned and stalked away.

" Lets go guys, we're done here." He said, and the three of them disappeared. Kairi was hunched over Axel, crying. Roxas ran over and crouched down. Axel was awake and alive, but limp and bloody. " Axel..." Roxas whispered, " How bad are you hurt?" Axel looked at Roxas. " S'not that bad... a few broken ribs and a sphlit liff." He said, and Roxas looked confused about that last part, until he saw that Axel's bottom lip was swollen and split open. Then he noticed all the blood pooling around Axel's head. " Axel, you're head is probably split open, too..." Roxas whispered, his eyes starting to water. Kairi was too busy crying with her head on Axel's stomach to notice what was happening around her.

" Yeah, I can feel the blood..." Axel whispered, " Maybe you should call 911 now." Roxas nodded, than pulled out his phone and dialled the number. " Hello...? Yes, we need an ambulance... my friend's head is split open and we're pretty sure he's got some crushed ribs and- yeah... the clock tower... okay, we'll be waiting... no ma'am, we haven't moved him... alright, thank you." Roxas hung up and smiled sadly at Axel. " They're on their way, Ax'. I'm sorry I didn't stop them sooner, then you wouldn;t be hurt as much - " "Roxas, if you hadn't have shown up when you did, I would be a lot worse than this. So just shut up and - GHACK!" Axel cut himself off when he coughed up a lot of blood. Kairi screamed and... fainted. Great.

" Axel!? Are you okay?" Roxas asked, wiping some of the blood from arounf Axel's mouth. " No." Axel whispered, then closed his eyes. " Axel? Axel! Axel, don't go to sleep! Don't! D-Don't die!" Roxas yelled, his tears finally falling. Axel grunted, then went still, except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Just as he did this, the paramedics ran up with a stretcher. Roxas got out of their way, watching as they pulled Axel's limp body onto it and hauling him up, then disappearing down the stairway of the clock tower. Another paramedic walked up to him. " You're the one who called 911, correct?" He asked, his cyan eyes truly concerned.

Roxas sniffled and wiped his eyes. " Y-yes, sir..." He said, and stood up, grabbing Kairi. " She's not hurt, is she?" The man asked, looking cautious. " N-no, she fainted from the sight of so much blood..." Roxas sniffled again and hauled Kairi's body into his arms, following the man down the clock tower. When he got there, a blonde haired man in a white coat took Kairi from him and layed her on another stretcher. " We should take her in to make sure she's not in shock, it's common for that to happen." The man explained, and called for another ambulance.

Roxas nodded. " You're Roxas Strife, right?" The cyan-eyed man asked. Roxas turned to him, surprised. " Y-yes, how do you know my name?" He asked, and the man smiled a little. " You go to school with my son and his boyfriend, Sora Leonhart." He said, and Roxas finally realized just how much this man looked like Riku. " You're Riku's dad?" Roxas asked, and the man nodded. " Yeah. I heard about Axel beating you up, but I didn;t know you were friends-"

He was cut off by a ear-piercing beeping. It was really fast, and Roxas didn't know what it was at first. Until, that is, the beeping evened out into a single continuous note, and one of the paramedics yelled, " He's flatlining! We have to get him to the hospital ASAP!" Roxas watched as everything went blurry, and the ambulance pulled away. Another pulled up, and the man in white loaded Kairi in and closed the doors, then that one sped off after the other one. Roxas and the two men were standing there watching as the ambulances disappeared.

Then it started to rain.

What a perfect time for rain. Roxas fell to his knees, only half aware of what he was doing and what was happening. The blonde man had went to his car and driven away after tha ambulances. Riku's dad was talking to Roxas, but the blonde had no idea what he was saying. His heartbeat was so loud that it drowned out the sounds around him. Distant sirens, the pounding shaaaa of the rain pouring down like a waterfall, some people yelling in the distance, everything was muffled, like Roxas was on the other side of a wall.

" Please don't leave me, Axel." Roxas croaked out, just before his vision went black.

A/N: Oooooooooooooh, cliffy! xD I'm terrible at fight scenes, so sorry if that tiny paragraph didn't pass your fight-scene standards D:  
So ja, Riku's dad is a paramedic, IDK, I was running out of adult characters D:  
I hope this chapter will keep you wanting more, guys!  
Review! 


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: My GOD guys, I'm terribly sorry for the long and excruciating delay D: I've just had some extreme writers block, and this story kind of died. I don't know where to take it D:  
With that said, I should warn you now that since I haven't worked on this story in so long, the character personalities may be slightly different... you may also blame that on Hetalia :I It's changed me. So much.  
Enough of that, this is a Kingdom Hearts story. SO. Without further adu, or however the hell you spell that word, I give you chapter 10 of What Hurts the Most :D

/beep/ /beep/ beep/ The first thing Roxas heard as he slowly came to was the steady drone of the heart rate moniter. His head was aching, and he couldn't feel his arms or legs. Groaning, the blonde cracked his eyes open. The light blinded him for about five seconds, then when his vision adjusted, he noticed he was in a hospital room. He twitched his fingers, then his toes, then slowly lifted his left forearm. There was an IV in his wrist.

Roxas frowned. His head really hurt, and it was hard to remember what had happened. He remembered he was at the mall... then he was walking home. What had happened...? A light switch seemed to switch on in his head as he remembered the next events. He had went to the clock tower... then when he got up there, he was about ti sit down when... these people came out of the shadows... there had been yelling... and the rest was blurred. What had happened after the yelling? Roxas sighed, shutting his eyes. The light was making his headahce worse.

After resting his head a bit, Roxas tried again. After the yelling... Kairi had shouted something... and Axel... Roxas's eyes flew open and he bolted upright. " Axel!" He called, suddenly remembering everything. A nurse came in carrying a small box. " Mr. Strife, please lay back down. You have a concussion and you need to rest." She said, but Roxas was panicking. " Please, I need to see someone! I have to make sure he's okay! I have to...!" The heart rate moniter was beeping quickly now, so fast it was nearly one continuous note.

" Sarah! I need some anesthetics in here, quick!" The nurse yelled, placing her hand on Roxas's chest to ease him back down. " Mr. Strife, please calm down! We're going to get you some anesthetics to help you relax." She said. Roxas shook his head. He willed his heart to beat slower, not wanting to be injected with anything that would hinder his ability to speak or move. He got his heart rate under control just as the other nurse came in with a needle in her hands.

" Here, would you like me to inject it or-" " No wait, please." Roxas said, a pleading look in his now teary eyes. " Please, I have to know if he's okay or not." The nurses glanced at each other. " Who are you talking about?" The first one asked. Roxas sniffled a bit. " A-Axel Flynn. He got here before me, I'm sure of it. When the ambulances were pulling away, h-he was flatlining..." With each word, Roxas felt his heart grow heavier, his eyes water more. The second nurse pursed her lips, then walked out of the room.

" I'll go check for you, just please stay calm." The first nurse said, then walked out. Roxas felt tired, yet adrenaline was coursing through his veins. His legs were tingling now, and his lower stomach muscles were bunched up and tight, as if he would have to jump up and ram through a wall at any second. After what seemed like an eternity, the first nurse returned. " How are you of relation to Mr. Flynn, if I may ask?" She asked, and Roxas looked slightly relieved. Then he frowned.

He was no relation to him... just a burden. But he had to come up with something... " I-I'm his boyfriend..." Roxas whispered, and the nurse frowned. She gave Roxas a weird look, but then nodded and walked back out. After another long wait, the nurse came back. " Mr. Flynn should be out of surgery in the next hour. Though he'll probably be asleep, you can still see him." She said. Roxas's eyes lit up. " S-so, he'll be okay?" There was so much hope in the blonde's voice that the nurse couldn't contain her smile. " Yes, he'll be okay. Oh, and there's a few people here to see you."

When she opened the door, Roxas's parents rushed into the room. " Oh Roxas! Sweetheart, I'm so sorry this had to happen to you!" Aerith said, throwing her arms around Roxas's neck. " Mom..." Roxas mumbled, " I'm okay... really..." " But I thought you were hurt badly, it scared me so much! I'm so glad you're alright." She said, backing up and letting him go. Cloud cleared his throat. " Roxas..." Roxas looked up at him with wide eyes. " Dad...?" Cloud visibly swallowed, then ruffled Roxas's hair. " I'm glad you're okay." He said, and Roxas noticed the relief in his slightly reddened eyes.

Roxas smiled. " I love you guys." He said, and wiped his eyes. Just then, Kairi bolted through the doorway. " Roxas!" She yelled, practically jumping on him. " Oh Roxas, I'm glad you're okay! When I woke up, my doctor told me that you had a severe concussion and since you'd fallen asleep, they were afraid you were going to go into a coma, and if you went into a coma, there's a possibility you'd never wake up-!" Kairi cut herself off and started crying. " A-and Axel's still in surgery, and I don't know w-when he's going to wake up. O-our parents started yelling when they got here and they had to l-leave, but I stayed just so I could s-see you... oh Roxas!" Kairi sobbed into his shoulder.

Roxas was slightly taken aback, but hugged her close, rocking back and forth slowly, trying to calm her down. He glanced at his parents, who were talking quietly in the far corner, giving them some privacy. After a few minutes, Kairi calmed down enough to stand up. She wiped her eyes. " Kairi, Axel is going to be okay, I promise." Roxas said, smiling up at her. Kairi smiled. " I'm sure he will, Roxas..." She said. Aerith cleared her throat. " Um, if I may interrupt, Roxas. We need to speak to the doctors, so we'll be in the hallway if you need us." She said, then walked out with Cloud at her heels.

" Those were your parents?" Kairi asked, a sniffle still in her voice. Roxas nodded. " Yeah, the doctors must have called them. So why did your parents start yelling when they got here?" Kairi frowned. " Well, they were yelling about how they had a right to see Axel... and the doctors and nurses were trying to tell them that he was still in surgery, but they were persistant. My mom started crying, and then my dad got even more angry... and the security guards escorted them out." She sighed. " They're just really scared right now, I guess." Roxas nodded. " Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm sure the doctors will call them when he's out."

Just then, the nurse walked back in. " Mr. Strife, Ms. Flynn, Mr. Flynn is out of surgery now. If you'd like, I can take you to his room." She said, and Kairi and Roxas perked up. " Yes, please!" Kairi said, and the nurse nodded. " Just let me take this IV out." She untaped the needle and pulled it out of Roxas's wrist, then rolled it up and threw it away. Kairi helped Roxas to his feet, then followed the nurse out of the room and down the hallway.

They went to the recovery ward and stopped in front of a door marked with a large '8'. " This is his room. Be sure to be quiet." The nurse said, opening the door. Kairi and Roxas walked in, and the nurse shut the door behind them, staying in the hallway. The room was dimly lit, the light reflecting off of the drawn curtains to give the air a slight orange/brown tint. Axel was laying in the bed, a peaceful look on his sleeping face.

His head was bandaged to just above his eyebrows, his hair slicked down from the usual wild spikes. His left arm was laying out from under the sheets on it's back, the inside facing upward with a large IV in it. It was injecting blood into his body. There was a smaller IV on his right arm, injecting the clear fluid to keep him from dehydrating. Kairi bit her lip and walked forward to his bedside, leaning down to press a kiss to Axel's forehead. " You'll be okay." She whispered, then sighed. Roxas came forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

" Kairi, I told you. He's going to be fine." He whispered, then kneeled beside Axel's bed. " Hey, Axel... when you wake up, we're going to be right here. And when you get out of here, we're all three going to go get ice cream on the clock tower." Roxas said lowly. Kairi walked to the other side of the bed and sat in the chair. " ... and I hope you don't mind, but I had to tell the nurses that I was your boyfriend so they'd let me see you."

" Why would I mind that?" Roxas and Kairi's eyes widened when Axel smiled. " A-Axel, you're awake?" Kairi gasped, jumping up and leaning over him. " Yeah, I'm awake. I just don't want to open my eyes, in case it makes my headache worse." Roxas was about to say something when he blushed. " W-wait, what do you mean, 'why would I mind that'? Isn't the thought of being my boyfriend-" " Perfect? Yes, the thought is perfect. But you know, I'd be much happier if it was true." Roxas's blush deepened and he squeezed his eyes shut.

" Axel, you have a severe head injury right now. You don't know what you're talking about." He said, holding onto the redhead's hand. Kairi's eyebrows were furrowed, giving her a worried and confused look, though she said nothing. " I'm being completely serious right now." Axel said, squeezing Roxas's hand tighter. Roxas sighed. " No you aren't." Axel's eyes slowly opened, and he blinked once, then focused that acidic gaze on the blonde's face. " Fine then. If you don't believe me now, it just gives me the chance to ask you out properly once I've recovered." He said, and smiled. Roxas was about to reply when the nurse came in.

" Alright you two, we need to let Mr. Flynn rest. I've brought some medicine to numb the pain, Mr. Flynn. I heard you speaking from outside and figured I'd go ahead and give it to you before you noticed the pain." She said, injecting the medicine into Axel's right IV, then disposing of the needle. " Bye, Axel. We'll be back soon." Kairi said, kissing his head once again before turning and walking out into the hallway.

Roxas looked down at Axel. He didn't really want to leave his side, but he had to let him rest. " See you later, Axel." He said, then followed Kairi out the door, giving one last glance behind him. The two walked back to Roxas's room, the second nurse that had came in that morning joining them. She helped Roxas back into his bed, explaining that they would have to keep him overnight to make sure that he had recieved only a concussion and nothing worse. " I'll stay here with him, if that's okay..." Kairi offered, and the nurse nodded. " Of course, just let me get you a pillow and a blanke-" " Ah, she can sleep with me, if that's alright." Roxas said, and Kairi raised an eyebrow at him.

The nurse looked between the two, then nodded. " That's alright. If either of you get uncomfortable, just tell me and I'll get you a pillow and blanket, Ms. Flynn. Have a good rest." With that, the nurse left. Kairi looked at Roxas. " Are you really willing to let me sleep with you, Roxas? That bed isn't that big you know." She said, and Roxas shrugged. " So? We're like siblings, arent we? It'll be alright, it's not as if we're horny old people." Kairi shivered and laughed. " Um, ew? Now I have that image in my head thanks to you. What time is it anyway?"

Roxas looked at the clock beside the TV. " It's nearly 2 am. We should go to sleep now." He said, sliding over to give Kairi more room. She smiled and climbed into the bed beside of him, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. After a minute, Roxas pulled the covers up and situated himself so that he was in a more comfortable position. " Goodnight, Kairi." " G'night, Roxas." After a few minutes, they both fell asleep.

A/N: Woohoo! I'm extremely proud of myself now! It is currently 4:38 am and I'm really lucky to be on spring break at the moment, that way I don't have to go to school :P I'm really proud I finished this chapter, and I think I've found a slightly new plot in this story. Would you guys be mad if the plot changed a little bit after Axel gets better? I would tell you what I have in mind, but it would ruin it... sorry ^^;;

Anyway, there you go, chapter 10 is terminado, kansei shita, zavershennyy, completed! *giggles and dances happily* 


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